Tips To Avoid Getting Hacked On Vacation

This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated.

Tips To Avoid Getting Hacked On Vacation

Heading down to Alabama’s Gulf Coast for a quick trip? Maybe to a nearby city like Atlanta or Nashville? More than 40 million Americans are hitting the road for the long July Fourth weekend and most of us will try to stay connected – opting to use free wireless hotspots at hotels, cafes and in airports.

Those WiFi networks carry risks. While many people already know to avoid sharing personal or financial information while using a hotspot because they’re not secure, they should be wary of paid access as well.

Please enable Javascript to watch this video

"Whether it's paid or not, whether there's a password involved or not, nearly all of them are completely unsecure," explained Kent Lawson, Private WiFi Founder & CEO, "The reason that WiFi hotspots put passwords on their WiFi is not to protect the individual, but rather to limit usage."

Lawson recommends travelers do the following whenever using a WiFi connection away from home:

Confirm the name of a hotel or restaurant's hotspot with the establishment's staff

Disable features on a mobile device that automatically connect to any network within range